


backstage butterflies

by shadowtraveled (meteorfest)



Series: Shadows on the Water [15]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-23
Updated: 2014-05-23
Packaged: 2018-01-26 05:30:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1676474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meteorfest/pseuds/shadowtraveled
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The cast of Pantheon! are all nervous for opening night, but Nico di Angelo is probably the most nervous.</p>
            </blockquote>





	backstage butterflies

**Author's Note:**

> Another tumblr prompt! This one asked for Percico and a Broadway AU.

On opening night, the entire cast of the new Broadway show,  _Pantheon!_ , was full of nerves, excitement, and no small amount of fear. This would be their first ever performance for the demanding Broadway audience and the ratings tonight would decide the fate of the show, as well as a number of the cast members. Oh, some of the veteran performers reassured the younger cast that one bad show wouldn’t ruin any budding careers, but the fear was still there.

Perhaps the most nervous of the young cast was Nico di Angelo. Tonight would be his Broadway debut and the teen was just a bundle of nervous energy. Playing the part of Hades, god of the Underworld, Nico didn’t quite look the part at the moment, thirty minutes until showtime. While he wore the elegant black chiton and black himation with silver embroidery, ensemble completed with a small array of silver jewelry, Nico’s arms were crossed tight over his chest, nails digging into his upper arms as he paced, so clearly not ready for this performance.

Percy, who had the role of Hades’ brother, Poseidon, was one of the actors who had a couple of shows already under his belt and he couldn’t help wanting to help Nico calm his nerves. He remembered what his debut had been like, though he’d been in a small role at the time, not one of the leads as he and Nico were now. 

"Come on, Nico," Percy assured him, slinging his arm over Nico’s shoulders, careful not to get any of the blue body paint that glittered over his own shoulders on the black fabric of Nico’s costume. "It’ll be great! You’ve got a great voice, you look fantastic - Silena pulled out all the stops for your costume. I know your debut’s got you nervous, but you’ve done a great job during rehearsals! Mr. D’s got high hopes for you and this show."

Okay, that was a half-lie; their production manager was a curt and dry man who mostly let his co-producer do the work on the show. Most of the crew knew that Mr. D was very reserved about his opinions about the show and, certainly, they’d know he’d never say he had high hopes for anyone.

Nico took a deep breath, held it for five seconds, then let it out, slow and steadily. “Yeah, I know,” he replied, voice quiet. Nico was always so quiet, Percy had noticed; the boy was like a ghost in the way he moved and spoke so quietly. The only time Nico  _wasn’t_  quiet was when he was on stage, belting out the lyrics to the songs for the show. “I just…my dad’s in the audience. He’s never thought much of my choice to go on Broadway. I can’t mess this up, Percy. I want to prove to him that this is what I’m good at. I want him to be proud of me.”

"He will be," Percy told the younger actor. Maybe he was jumping to conclusions, as he’d never met Nico’s father before (his mother, yes; his older sister, yes; his half-sister, yes - Hazel had the role of Hecate in their show). He just wanted to reassure Nico. "Nico, you’re  _amazing._ Your vocal range alone makes half the cast jealous. Your dad’s going to be proud of you once he sees just how incredible you are in this show.”

"You think so?"

Percy couldn’t help smiling. Nico sounded a little more confident now and he’d dropped his arms to his side, no longer digging his nails into his skin. “Absolutely,” Percy nodded. He leaned in and pressed a light kiss, nothing too intrusive, against Nico’s lips, just for an added bit of luck for the younger actor. “You’ll see.”

Before Nico could comment on the kiss, Percy turned to finish his preparations for the show. 

* * * * *

_Pantheon!_  was a hit with the crowd, receiving huge rounds of applause, standing ovations, and by the end of the night when everyone was clearing out to rest after the performance, there were already tweets going out about the show. Nico di Angelo was already gaining a following by midnight. 

Percy couldn’t be prouder of the younger actor. Nico had nailed all of his songs, hitting all his high notes, and, though he’d forgotten a line, he’d picked himself back up quickly enough that the audience hadn’t noticed. Once the cast was all backstage again, Percy sought the younger actor out.

"Told you you’d do great!" he cheered for Nico, nudging him with an elbow. "Jason, didn’t I tell him he’d do great?"

Jason, their Zeus, gave Percy a bewildered look, having never heard Percy tell Nico anything of the sort - he hadn’t been there for the pep talk Percy had giving Nico before the show. “Of course he’d do great,” Jason said. “He’s one of our best cast members.”

"See?" Percy elbowed Nico again. "Bet you’re proud of yourself, huh?"

Nico gave a small nod. “Yeah,” he croaked, his voice spent after the production. He cleared his throat and accepted a lozenge from Jason, who was handing them out for all the cast members. “I survived my first show. That’s got to say something.”

"I think it does," Percy grinned. "Hey, Nico, want to meet me for coffee tomorrow morning? We can read the reviews together."

Nico’s cheeks tinged with red at the offer. “S-sure. The Underwood Cafe, at nine sound good?”

Percy’s grin widened. “It’s a date.”


End file.
